Medicare Monday: Managing Diabetes Thanks to Medicare Part D

Managing diabetes treatments is a big task. Medicare Part D helps patients access needed medicines, keeps costs low and helps avoid costly hospitalizations and complications. According to Betty, a mother of five from California, she can afford her diabetes prescriptions thanks to Part D and feels more secure as a result.

Betty is not alone. Ramona has seen her quality of life improve tremendously. Suffering from diabetes and other conditions, she was confined to her bed. Now, with the help of Part D, she has access to treatments she needs and is becoming more active. Similarly, Lee found it impossible to get all of the medicines he and his wife needed to treat their type 2 diabetes before participating in the program.

Adherence to needed medicines – like those for diabetes – not only helps to improve health, but also helps reduce spending on other health care costs. A study published in the Journal of Managed Care and Specialty Pharmacy breaks it down.

There are lots of stories like Betty, Ramona and Lee about how Part D works. Check out more patient stories, and be sure to stay tuned in the coming weeks for more #MedicareMonday blogs to learn more about how Medicare Part D is helping patients with chronic diseases like diabetes live longer, healthier lives. We also encourage you to follow #MedicareMonday on Twitter for additional details.

Allyson Funk Ally is a former senior director of public affairs at PhRMA focused on advocacy issues for the biopharmaceutical industry. Her expertise includes Medicare, Medicaid, 340B, health reform and more. Prior to PhRMA, her experience includes leading health communications for a large membership organization, supporting public affairs clients and working for the governor of Louisiana.